Chartreuse (1605) Liqueur Fabriquée par les Pères Chartreux, 'Green'. NV. NR.

[John Trombley]

Chartreuse (1605) Liqueur Fabriquée par les Pères Chartreux, 'Green'. NV

55 pabv. In Impitoyable, from 375 ml/$40, screw cap. Pure light green over complete downsheeting on sides of glass. Fermented straw (coumarin), Mexico vanilla, shoe leather and shoe polish over lacquer. I aver it SMELLS green. Summary of all this comes through on the palate; its considerable sweetness borne up on the extract, with subtle finish from the mint or the mint components. A tickle, only, from the 'heat'; which becomes actually more prominent with a little water, but so is the depth of the ensemble. Why cannot I actually sense one single herb flavor in this, with the possible exception of vanilla? A sensation of tarragon, too, is in the envelope of the palate, leading me to believe that there's some Artemisia spp. more or less in here. The amount of water (perhaps a teaspoon in a tablespoon or two of the liqueur) causes little cloudiness that I can detect.

How does one rate this? I'd have to find its peers, and where are they? A classic. NR

What is the difference between this and the green VEP? I'd say this is almost identical in style, flavor, and quality, with the exception that the VEP has just a touch more integration, more mellowness, more presence. I doubt whether they could be told apart as mixers, but since the VEP can be over $125 per bottle, that's all to the good. Only a sensitive palate, I think, could tell them apart double-blind.

[Andy Velebil]

I love the VEP and have just over a bottle left. Plenty of herbs in the VEP. Never had this one.